Under the Cover of Night
by MaxTheReaper13
Summary: Dave finds himself a subject of interest for a grey-skinned and unexpectedly handsome demon, who's made a habit of coming to visit him after the sun sets. Though he doesn't mind the attention as much as one would think. Rated T for the time being, due to language; teenage/Demonstuck AU.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: It's been a while since I actually uploaded anything, and all my older stuff has been deleted anyways. This is my first Davekat fan fiction that I've liked eough to post, so here goes. I won't continue unless it gets some reviews and such. I hope you enjoy. **

It was well past midnight, and the sky outside was an inky blue, the clouds blocking out most of the light provided by the stars and moon. Not that any of that mattered to a certain shades-wearing blonde. He may have been laying in his bed, but he was far from falling asleep. He didn't yawn once, his laptop sitting on top of his crossed legs. He was just surfing the web quietly, an unbiased spectator in the world of the internet. He didn't have much else to do, anyway. He'd been drawing most of the evening, and even wrote a few raps, but he found himself very bored. No, hella bored. So bored, there wasn't a word descriptive enough to explain how bored he was without the term seeming absolutely insulting to his current state of boredom.

He shut his laptop with a heavy sigh, then turned to click his lamp off. As he shifted positions, he could've sworn he'd seen a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. "The fuck?" he murmured under his breath, his head jerking back around before he'd even shut the light off. "Bro?" He climbed out of bed and groped around for one of the many katanas littering his messy room, adjusting his shades as they did so. Cool as they were, it really made seeing at night a hassle. Finally he found a suitable weapon, but by then the room seemed empty and quiet again. Then again, it was eerily quiet. It even seemed colder than it had a mere few minutes ago.

"For a cool kid, you seem on edge."

He spun around when he heard a voice, and could barely distinguish the dark outline of a figure on his bed. It wasn't bro, he knew that for sure- the voice was much more growly, yet it sounded younger, and besides that, the silhouette was shorter and stockier than his awesome guardian. "Alright, if you don't tell me who the fuck you are right now," Dave said in a calm tone, trudging closer to the figure with his sword in hand, "I'll castrate you right here. I'm tired as hell, and I'd rather no deal with this "cryptic-stranger" bull shit at one in the morning."

He heard a husky chuckle from behind him, and realized he was talking to an empty space, a whole lot of nothing. Just shadows and blankets. He turned on his heel, his stern pokerface not budging for an instant, only to stare into glowing, orange sclera's. He suddenly found himself face to face with a grey-skinned, red-eyed male baring vicious-looking fangs that peeked out automatically beneath nearly-black lips.

Dave didn't even flinch at this doofus' little Halloween getup. "Who are you?" he asked dully, poking the tip of his blade tentatively to the stranger's chest. The black lips just quirked upwards a bit, showing off more of those razor-sharp teeth. Damn, this guy could make a great white shark blush in embarrassment.

"Nobody you'd know," he retorted, and suddenly the asshole was gone again. "My name's Karkat Vantas. And you're Dave Strider, right?" The human barely stiffened at hearing his name coming from what he'd thought was a complete stranger's mouth, his grip on the hilt of his sword tightening ever so slightly.

"Are you some kind of stalker then?" he chuckled bluntly, gazing around to try and find Karkat again. He inched towards the main light switch of his room, only to feel a warm, well-muscled, human-ish _thing_ blocking his way right behind him. When he turned there was nothing. "Fucking hell, would you knock it off?" he mumbled, feigning disinterest. "It's mildly annoying."

Finally he flicked on the lights, making it much easier to see whoever it was slinking around his bedroom like some nighttime television villain. He heard the slightest hiss of surprise, and saw what must've been Karkat flinch a bit in the corner of the room. "Shit, that's bright," he heard him mutter.

"Alright, you got me," Dave said, walking over to the other male. "Haha-fucking-ha. Now tell me what you're doing here, and why you're dressed like a really bad interpretation of count Dracula from the seventies."

Karkat just grumbled a bit, moving to sit on the bed. "I'm here because I'm just as bored as you are," he said with a small, fanged smirk, running a hand through his shaggy mess of black hair. Wait, what were those orange things sticking out of his head? Horns? Dave couldn't help but smirk a bit, thinking about how nubby and silly they looked.

"Well, yeah, I'm bored. That doesn't explain anything though. Stop being an enigmatic fucker and answer me like a sane human being."

"I'm not a human being though, and the jury's still out on how sane I am." Dave just raised an eyebrow, causing the grey male to snicker. "Do I _look _fucking human to you?"

"No, which reminds me to congratulate you on your little game of dress-up." He clapped slowly and sarcastically, then reached forward and grabbed one of the nubby little protrusions jutting out the tussled, black tangles of hair, tugging it slightly. "Now enough with the costu-"

He was cut off abruptly by a quick gasp from Karkat, which seemed to be a mixture of pain, surprise, and… something Dave didn't care to identify at the moment. "Don't do that!" Karkat growled, slapping Dave's hand away and massaging the area around the orange nub. "It's not a fucking costume, okay? I'm a demon. Jackass."

Dave just raised an eyebrow, snorting a bit. "Oh, and what's a spawn of Satan doing creeping around my bedroom? Am I your haunt for the night?"

"No, that's not even how demons work, fuck-nuggets," Karkat said back sharply, rolling his eyes. "I'm here because I was in need of some entertainment. And I've had my eye on you for a while." The demon told him in a gruff tone, standing and putting his hands in his pockets.

Now that Dave got a good look at him, he could see the outlines of tightly-packed muscles beneath Karkat's black, long-sleeved shirt. He may have been short, but his broad shoulders and muscle-bound chest and arms made it obvious he could hold his own if need be. Even with this burly build, the word that came to Dave's mind definitely wasn't of an overly macho or masculine sort. The guy still had fairly soft features on his face, looking to be about Dave's age, and the gentle curves of his body weren't nearly as harshly defined as that of his muscles. It was an odd, but balanced mixture of strong and graceful. Fuck, graceful? When had he ever used that word in his life?

On the other hand, Dave was tall, with a naturally thin body structure. He managed to reinforce this with lean, subtle muscles though, and most who tried quarreling with him soon found out that he was quite a bit stronger than he looked. That's what happened when your bro constantly put you through training and conditioning your whole life, in order to both toughen you up, and make you the coolest son of a bitch out of your entire generation. It obviously had its benefits.

And while Dave's mind had been preoccupied with thinking over the contents of the upper two paragraphs, Karkat had disappeared once again, only for Dave to hear him sifting through the various shit that was scattered about the floor and desk of his room. "You have a thing for sharp objects?" the shorter male said dully, that husky voice grating out in a way that snapped Dave right out of his train of thought. Hell, the train was now off the tracks altogether.

"You could say that," Dave said plainly, going to sit on his bed. He pinched the bridge of his nose with a small sigh as he tried to grasp this all over again. "So, mind explaining to me why I became a subject of interest for an incubus?"

"That's not what I am, dickweed," Karkat snapped back, his red iris' and orange sclera's making contact with the flat, blank lenses of Dave's shades. "I'm just a normal demon."

"The question still stands though."

The grey-skinned demon paused a moment, his gaze falling to the floor briefly before he shrugged. "You seem interesting. And most other demons are assholes." The blonde made the mistake of blinking, and when he opened his eyes Karkat wasn't where he'd been looking, and instead the demon was right beside him on the bed, their shoulders nearly touching.

This didn't phase the human though- he'd grown up with his ninja-esque Bro, after all. He was used to this sort of bull shit. "Whoa man," he said with the slightest tug of a smirk at the corner of his mouth. "What kind of guy do you take me for?"

"The idiotic kind," the demon replied, not looking amused. "And I didn't come here to play "who can be the biggest douche bag in a single night." I came here looking for a friend… of sorts." He crossed his arms and leaned forward, giving himself a horrible posture that was somehow a bit… endearing? Was that the word Dave was looking for?

"Don't you have any demon friends?"

"I told you, they're all basically assholes," he mumbled back, glaring off to the side opposite of you. "If you want me gone, I'll just leave. I kind of figured that even the "cool-kid" Dave Strider would be pissing his pants about meeting and possibly befriending a fucking demon, but I guess the title is too far welded into your very being for you to be excited about anything." He got up, seeming ready to rush right out of there, but before he could Dave stood up slowly and nonchalantly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I guess it would be pretty cool to have a demon for a best bro," he said with another small, amused smirk. "Besides, even demons don't deserve to be alone like hermits. For future reference though, you might want to work on your presentation when snooping around for human friends. Most people would be scared off by the fangs and shit."

"Which is why I chose you in the first place," Karkat said back without missing a beat, mirroring Dave's lopsided little half-grin. He held his hand out to Dave, locking eyes with him- sort of. "Only you'd be crazy and "cool" enough to give a demon a chance."

Dave took the hand and gave it a single, quick shake, then nodded. "Damn straight."

**I know it's not perfect, I just kind of wrote it on a whim. Please tell me what you thought though, and whether or not you'd like to see more.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I was pretty pleased to get a few reviews and follows last night, and I already had the chapter in mind, so here you go. I got one comment saying Karkat was a bit ooc in the first chapter, and I totally agree. I'll try to make him more... well... Karkat-y from now on. I appreciate all comments and advice, so long as it's polite. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy.**

A few days had passed, and Dave hadn't seen any sign of his new, demonic friend since they'd made their little friendship pact. Was that even a thing? He supposed it could be. In any case, he was beginning to wonder if it hadn't all been some elaborate dream, or a half-asleep-at-one-in-the-morning delusion. It wasn't until he had been home from school for a few hours, and had already started to half-ass his way through his pile homework, when he heard a familiar voice.

"What's that?" the voice grumbled from behind him, and Dave turned just enough to see the black fabric of Karkat's shirt covered his chest and stomach.

"Homework," Dave replied plainly, repressing a pleased smirk. "It's about time, man. I thought you'd ditched me, there."

Karkat moved to sit on the bed, and Dave turned in his chair to face him. "Rule number one about making friends: don't come on too strong," he chuckled with that oddly likable, natural snarl he had in his voice. "I figured your underdeveloped human brain could use a break from all the demonhood shit, so I kept my distance for a couple of days. Fucking sue me."

At this, Dave managed a chuckle. "Underdeveloped my ass. You dropping off the face of the Earth just made me wonder if our "encounter" ever actually happened. Thanks for that."

"You're welcome."

The two of them exchanged a sneer of approval at equal amounts of sass and sarcasm, before the room went silent for a few minutes. At this time, Dave went back to solving tedious equations and calculating boring numbers on his paper, meanwhile Karkat was starting to get antsy. "Is homework important?" he asked, laying back on the bed and stretching comfortably.

"A little bit, yeah," Dave answered without looking up. "I'm almost done though, so don't get your panties in a twist. Do demons even wear panties?" he added to himself with a snicker.

Though Dave couldn't see it, Karkat's grey cheeks flushed a faint shade of reddish-pink. "Maybe girl demons do, you fucking idiot," he said back indignantly, though the slightest bit of a smirk quirked at the corners of his lips. He was soon realizing that this cool kid was completely annoying and insufferable- but funny and entertaining all the same. This promised to be an interesting "friendship." He grabbed for the pillow on Dave's bed, and tossed it at the blonde roughly, only for the boy to duck down just in time to avoid it, sending the pillow flying into the wall.

"Missed," he said smugly, his pencil still scratching away at his paper, that tell-tale smirk growing steadily wider as the minutes passed by.

Karkat grimaced in disappointment, and crossed his arms. "Asshole," he mumbled dully.

"Demon-douche."

While Dave finished up his homework, this insulting -yet vaguely playful- banter went on, the two of them arguing back and forth the entire time. Karkat found it delightfully infuriating, actually enjoying the challenge that Dave presented, while the human just found it amusing in every sense of the word. He'd never heard such colorful vocabulary, or unusual strings of words formed together into insults before. The demon and human, while on the outside it seemed they were bickering like an old, hateful couple, were actually getting on rather well, a few chuckles and quiet laughs mixed into the snarky comebacks.

Finally, after about twenty minutes of non-stop writing, with the occasional, calm retort, Dave had finished his homework and was stuffing it in his school folder. Was he actually eager to really _hang out _with Karkat, rather than just talk? He decided that yes, he was, and there was no shame in that. After all, it's not every day you get to play video games, or watch movies with a demon. Especially one that actually seemed fairly cool. Not as cool as him, of course, but just enough to make a kick-ass potential friend.

"Okay, so," he began after standing and popping his back, stiff after sitting in one place for too long, "what do you want to do?" He plopped down at the foot of the bed, that being the only space left with Karkat taking up most of the top-half.

Karkat sat up, shrugging. "I don't fucking know," he told Dave bluntly, crisscrossing his legs. "Do you have any movies?"

"Of course I do," Dave replied, adjusting his shades absently. "What kind of sad motherfuck doesn't have movies? What do you want to watch?"

"Do you have romcoms?"

Dave raised an eyebrow, smirking in a teasing, amused sort of way. "Romantic comedies? Really?" He chuckled a bit, shaking his head. "That's precious."

"Oh, would you cram it!" With the annoyed shout, Karkat leaned forward and managed a punch to Dave's shoulder, which received only a small, nonchalant "ow" from the human. "I like romcoms, okay? I guess you don't have any then, if you're laughing about it."

"Probably not," Dave said with a shrug, rubbing his arm where Karkat had struck. It had hurt, yeah, but he'd dealt with worse. "And by the way, pipe the fuck down. No shouting."

"Why?" Karkat furrowed his eyebrows even more than they were naturally, his expression expectant.

"Because my Bro would probably question why a stranger dressed up like that is in my room," he replied coolly, pointing at Karkat. "This has got to stay our secret, okay, man?"

"You think I don't know that?" the demon grunted, brushing a thick sheet of bangs out of his face. "I'm not fucking stupid. Only you can see and hear me, because I _chose_ to _let_ you see me."

"Oh. That's cool." Dave nodded a bit, and got up to search his stash of movies. "So it basically just looks like I'm talking to myself in here like a crazy person?"

"Basically, yeah."

"Fantastic. Okay, so, I don't have any romcoms, but I have plenty of action and normal comedy movies. You know, movies that aren't complete shit," he chuckled, more to himself than Karkat, but it still earned him an indignant "hey!" from the demon. "No offense."

"I take offense anyway, because that phrase is pointless. Let me see what you have, then."

The two never did agree on a movie, so Dave resolved to put in the shittiest film he owned, just so the two of them could make fun of it together. The one chosen was "Killer Clowns From Outer Space," a flick so bad that he'd actually forgotten he owned it until then. It was terrible, but it was good for a laugh, and perfect for a Mystery Science Theater-esque movie night.

"This movie looks stupid," Karkat said as soon as the title screen showed up, making a face that conveyed a certain amount of disgust and skepticism.

"That's the point."

Despite the two of them completely ripping apart the movie, making fun of the dumb story, plot and effects, every time one of the killer clowns came on screen, Karkat seemed to stiffen, the face he made absolutely baffled, if not just plain, grossed-out. The first time one came up he just about choked on his own saliva.

"That is the most vial thing I have seen in my entire existence," he muttered, grimacing visibly. "Humans actually enjoy watching this?"

"No, humans enjoy making fun of it. I'll be back in a sec, we need some popcorn up in this bitch." He ruffled the demon's hair as he stood, getting a growl and a small smack for it, then left his bedroom to go into the kitchen and make the movie snack. On his way back, he met Bro in the hallway.

"Hey, kid," his guardian said, his tone the definition of cool and indifferent. "You have a friend in there? Or are you talking to yourself ironically?"

"The latter," Dave said, and his Bro nodded and shrugged it off. That was about as normal as their exchanges got- brief and to the point, usually ending in some form of subtle-but-amazing irony. "Alright, man, I got the-" He paused when he didn't see Karkat right away. At least until he noticed the bundle of blankets on his bed, a few glimpses of black and grey peeking out. "Dude, are you seriously fucking scared?" he said with a small chuckle. "That's adorable."

"These things are deranged," he hissed back, moving the blankets away from his head. "I have never seen cotton candy used in such a disgusting way. How do you watch this shit?"

"Patiently and ironically." Dave sat beside him and wrapped an arm around Karkat, patting his shoulder. "It's almost over anyway. If you're really that freaked out, we can watch something else. Okay, princess?" He cracked another smirk at the joking title, and it widened a bit when Karkat elbowed him in the ribs, not nearly hard enough for it to hurt though.

"No, fuck that, and fuck you. I'm fine." As if to make a point, he discarded the blankets altogether, and grabbed a fistful of popcorn, nibbling at it piece-by-piece. His red-and-orange eyes were glued to the screen, flicking around slightly as he watched all the "action," take place. When the end credits began rolling, he breathed out in a raspy sigh. "That was the worst cinematic train wreck I have ever witnessed."

"Yeah, it's pretty bad." He shrugged, but then noticed he still had his arm around the demon. Had they been sitting like that the entire time? He'd hardly noticed. Oh well. "Does baby need a romcom to make him feel better?" he cooed tauntingly, playfully nudging Karkat with his elbow after slipping his arm away from him.

"I'm fine," Karkat snapped, crossing his arms and glaring into Dave's shades. "You really are a prick. And those shades don't even make sense when it's just the two of us in here." He reached up, as if to remove them, and Dave instinctively flinched back.

"Nope," he said bluntly, then stood and walked a few feet away. "They're ironic, so I'm wearing them on principle. Deal with it."

Karkat made another vaguely skeptical, but this time more curious, expression. "That's not why you wear them," he argued without moving from his spot on the bed. Dave glanced at him over his shoulder, as if to say "you don't know what you're talking about." Karkat sighed and rolled his eyes. "You wear them to hide like a fucking coward."

"How would you know?"

"Because I've known you longer than you've known me," Karkat retorted dully, as if this was a totally normal thing to say. "I've seen you without them, because even you aren't a big enough tool to sleep in those shitty things. I don't get why you wear them when you're alone though."

"So you _have_ been stalking me?" Dave said with a grin, ignoring the comments about his shades, and passing over them as if they'd never been said at all. The last thing he needed was for this to evolve into some sappy feelings-jam. He didn't do heartfelt very well, and he wasn't about to try. "I'm flattered, Kitkat."

"Don't call me that, and stop avoiding the fucking topic."

Dave's grin shrank, and he sighed in slight annoyance. "I wear them because they're cool, that's all. Now can you oh-so kindly drop it?" His voice remained smooth and patient, not even an ounce of irritation showing through. "It's not as big a deal as you're making it."

"Fine," Karkat said with a harsh frown and a curt shrug. "I'll drop it for now."

"Oh, that sounds promising."


	3. Chapter 3

Karkat came to visit Dave every night after that, and it didn't take long for the two of them to become fairly close as friends. They stayed up late watching movies and playing video games, only for Dave to go to school half-asleep. Not that anyone could tell how tired his was, what with his shades blocking the slight shadows under his eyes from sight. And if he dozed off, no one would be the wiser. He did well enough in his classes, passing at the very least, because he had plenty of people to turn to if he needed help on something. And, when you slept through classes, that was an inevitable turn of events.

It wasn't until third period, whilst Dave was fighting off heavy eyelids with lackluster effort, that their strict pattern of nighttime meetings was broken, and Dave felt the chilly but familiar presence of his "pet demon." At first it didn't process in his mind, but when he felt a firm hand nudge his shoulder, and glanced down at grey, clawed fingers, he was suddenly wide awake. "What the hell are you doing here?" he hissed, luckily going unnoticed from his seat at the back of the room.

Karkat just shrugged, smirking a bit. "I was bored. Deal with it." It was then that Karkat began walking -no… he was floating?- around the class, glancing around at the students, at the teacher. "Not that this place is much of a step up. Why do you waste so much time here anyway?"

"It's kind of mandatory," he muttered back, staring down at his paper to disguise the fact that he was talking to an invisible demon. "If you don't like it, leave," he added under his breath, pretending to take a few notes when, in reality, he was scribbling and doodling on his page out of boredom. Karkat just shook his head, and went about his business. He glanced up for a split second, then did a double take when he saw Karkat making faces at the teacher, giving her devil horns with his fingers. Dave couldn't repress a snort of amusement, and the teacher, unaware of the antagonizing actions directed at her, looked over at Dave with a raised eyebrow.

"Is something funny to you, Mr. Strider?" she asked in that condescending tone that only high school history teachers could pull off. Beside her, Karkat was miming a mouth with his hand, meanwhile flapping his own fang-riddled mouth open and shut, while making the stupidest, but funniest face Dave had ever seen. Dave had to bite his lip from the inside to keep from laughing or grinning.

"No, ma'am," he answered coolly as he could, and she stared at him a moment longer before moving on with her lecture. Something about the Cold War, Dave thought, but he wasn't really paying attention. He was too busy watching Karkat, in a way that was totally cool and ironic, and not creepy in the least. And besides, Karkat had apparently been watching Dave for some time now, so this evened up the score. Aside from that, the stocky demon was just… much more _interesting _than anything else going on in class.

Once class was over, and Dave was getting his stuff together, Karkat was by his side again. "You're an asshole," he snickered, looking Karkat directly in the eye, everyone having left the class by then. "You almost got me in trouble. She's pretty much the strictest teacher in school."

"You didn't seem to mind when you were fighting back laughter," Karkat retorted with a small, smug grin. He was so obnoxious at times, and it was obvious he was just trying to screw with Dave at any chance possible- even if it meant to resorting to immature and silly tricks so far back in the book that Dave didn't even want to look that far. "How much longer do you have to be here?"

"Well, I normally don't get home until three, right? There's your answer." With his backpack slung over his shoulder, he headed out of the classroom, Karkat close at his heels. "Are you just going to follow me around school from now on, then?"

Karkat shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Just for today," he said dully, seeming to go back to his grumpy, cranky self now that he wasn't busy trying to make Dave laugh his way right to detention. "This place fucking sucks. Too many loud and stupid people. At least they don't bug me, since I'm basically invisible. Being a demon has a few perks."

"Not a fan of humans?"

"Not a fan of living things," Karkat retorted with the smallest hint at a smirk. "I hate basically everyone, with few exceptions."

"Well, Mr. Vantas," Dave began in his best, southern drawl, "how you do make me blush. Don't I feel so special." This got the smallest chuckle out of the demon, which was enough to make Dave break into a small smile as well. This time it seemed much more genuine than most of his usual smirks or smart-ass grins. "So, why do you hate everything? Does it have anything to do with you being a supernatural specter of evil from hell?"

At this Karkat frowned and bared his fangs, hitting Dave over the head, doing so just lightly enough so that his flinch was barely visible to those around them in the halls. "For one thing, just because I'm a demon doesn't mean I'm automatically some evil hell raiser, fuckwit," he snarled, bowing his head and furrowing his eyebrows into a glare as he stared at the floor. "And secondly, after you've spent more time than you can add up in a terrible place that actually _is _evil, it tends to turn you into a bit of an antisocial asshole."

Dave raised an eyebrow behind his shades, surprised at how defensive he'd gotten all of a sudden. "Okay, jeez, sorry," he apologized dully, though it came across as earnest as he'd meant it to be, despite his flat tone. "Were you always like this? Or did you do something to become a demon?"

Karkat shook his head with a shrug, huffing a bit and blowing the usual bundle of black hair out of his eyes. "I can't remember. And I honestly don't care anymore. It's been way too long, and it's not like knowing will change anything. I'm a demon, have been for as long as I can remember- that's it, the end." He sounded bitter and angry about the topic, not being the type that's very good at hiding one's emotions, and Dave was suddenly sorry for asking. Mostly because he hadn't meant to upset Karkat in any way, but that was what had ended up happening.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Demon or not, you are easily the coolest friend I've ever had," he told Karkat with another of his rare, genuine smiles. Karkat returned the smile a little more unsurely, but looked grateful for the reassurance nonetheless.

"You're not such a bad human yourself," Karkat replied, staring ahead again. Dave felt like he had a fist clenching up his stomach, and tense feeling unnerved him only slightly. It wasn't something he was used to, but, like the living, breathing wad of Strider cool he was, he shrugged it off without much of a second thought.

* * *

Once school had ended, and Dave was on his way out of the building, he felt Karkat jab him in the shoulder with his pointer finger. He turned his head just enough to face to demon, raising an eyebrow expectantly. "Easy with the claws. Do you need something, princess?"

Karkat grimaced at the perpetuating nickname -Dave had all but refused to call him anything other than "princess" or "Kitkat", for reasons unbeknownst to either of them- but let it slide, as he was starting to get used to Dave's attempts to rile him. "I don't want to go back to your house yet," he said plainly, his tone giving every impression that he was not budging on this.

"Why not? Don't tell me Bro intimidates you," Dave chuckled dryly, stuffing his hands in his pockets after shifting is backpack on his shoulder. "Or do you have a problem with Lil Cal?"

"It's not that," Karkat snapped, crossing his arms and glaring at Dave. "I'm just don't want to sit around and watch more of your shitty movies all night."

"But that's our special time," Dave whined overdramatically, feigning a hurt expression. "Don't tell me you're getting bored of the Strider charm already." He leaned against Karkat forcefully, making the demon stumble a bit.

"Would you- fucking stop!" he shouted, unable to hide a small chuckle as he pushed Dave off. "Get off me, idiot. You realize the only places I've seen in this town now are your house and this stupid school, right?"

"I thought you hated living things though."

"I do, but living things other than you can't see me, so they won't pester me. I don't deal with being cooped up well, so is it seriously too much to ask to go hang out somewhere other than your messy bedroom just this once?"

"Why can't you go on your own? It's not like you're tied down to me."

Karkat paused, and actually stopped walking for a second or two before increasing his pace to catch up with Dave. "I'm not, but if I have to go it alone, I may as well just go back where I came from. I can't exactly interact with the environment without people thinking there's a ghost or something. It'd be pretty damn dull, don't you think?"

Dave nodded once, still staring ahead and looking enigmatic as ever, his shades hiding any expression he might've had. "Touché," he said bluntly, looking up at the sky for a second. It was a nice enough day- a few clouds dotting the blue canvas of sky, warm air with a cool breeze blowing through every now and then. He didn't have anything to lose, he supposed. "Fine. But we're only making one stop, then we're going home." Karkat began forming a pout, but before he could even open his mouth to protest, Dave spoke up again. "We can go out somewhere new every couple of days. It'll give you shit to look forward to." Karkat broke out into a small grin, which in turn spread to Dave's face. How was this little bastard's small amounts of stifled happiness so infectious? It was annoying, yet endearing. Strange, but comfortable. It would've been a bit of an exaggeration to say it confused the human, but the initial reaction was something of the sort.

As cool as Dave was, he was still hopelessly oblivious to each little sign that popped up on the roadside of this new, weird friendship. Or he was just ignoring the billboards altogether.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I apologize that this chapter's a little bit short. I got the main events of it summed up nicely, and didn't want to drag it out any more than necessary. Also, I want to thank everyone following for the support, and I appreciate all the reviews I get. The more reviews I receive, the more motivation I have to continue- more motivation means faster updates. Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoy the sappiness of this chapter.**

Dave had to wrack his brains to think of a good place to take Karkat. He didn't doubt that the arcade would give the demon a panic attack, with all the noise and crowds. The library was quiet, but the problem with that was that libraries were fucking boring. If Dave wanted to read, he'd have stayed at school. The park? Nah, what were they supposed to do once they were there? Finally, a suitable place came to mind, and he spoke up to ask Karkat one thing:

"Are you a fan of coffee?"

Karkat looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "I don't know, I haven't had it in a long time."

"How long?"

"Oh, probably never," Karkat grumbled back with a small snicker. "Why?"

"Because there's a café near my house that won't be too out of the way to go to. Plus, it's full of hipster assholes who are too self-centered to notice some kid talking to himself." He smirked a bit, his eyes still hidden by his shades. "We can pop in, grab a drink, and be on our way back home. Baby-steps, Kitkat."

Karkat rolled his eyes, but nodded in agreement. "Fine. It's better than nothing, I guess." In all honesty, he was much more pleased than he was letting on. And Dave knew it. The more they hung out, the more he was able to see through Karkat's veil of empty rage and grumpiness. And the thought of that made Dave grin to himself, the satisfied expression going unnoticed by his demon companion.

They walked silently after that, the only sounds around them being the chilly wind blowing overhead, a few birds hear and there, and the fallen leaves skittering over the road and sidewalks. It was just starting to get cold as November lurched towards them, and it seemed like the perfect weather for a hot, sweet beverage. Dave couldn't help but think a hot, apple cinnamon latte, or something of the sort, sounded absolutely kick-ass at that precise moment, as an especially bitter breeze nipped at his exposed ears and reddening nose. Most kids questioned why he didn't dress for the weather until the last minute, right before December, and he simply replied with, in a tone as dull as one of his Bro's old blades, "it's called being fashionably late."

Once they got to the café he'd told Karkat about, he walked in with the jingling of a bell, and swaggered towards the front counter, holding his head up high. Just like his Bro had taught him. He ordered the desired, apple-flavored beverage in a smooth tone after adjusting his glasses, and looked subtly towards Karkat, as if to ask what he wanted. The demon just replied with a shrug, and he breathed a silent sigh, rolling his eyes behind his shades.

"Also, give me a cappuccino or something. I don't really care." The cashier gave him an odd look, just to be met by the ubiquitous, slightly-freckled poker-face of Dave Strider. "It's for my girlfriend, but she didn't tell me what she wanted." He smirked a bit at the indignant gasp Karkat made, and it honestly sounded like a gaping fish out of water.

The cashier just nodded and rang up the order. "Name?"

"Big Daddy Strider. Apple-Bro. Rapster McGee. Take your pick." Karkat snorted loudly at that, and Dave had to swallow his own chuckle of amusement at the bizarre look the clerk gave him. The tiniest smirk quirked at his lips, and then he realized that the cashier was having none of his bull shit. "Fine. Dave Strider." The guy at the counter gave him another weird look before nodding, and writing his name down on either the cups. Meanwhile, Dave was fishing his wallet out of his back pocket to pay, looking at the balance on the little, light-up screen on the cash register.

He paid, then sat at a nearby table to wait for their drinks. Karkat sat across from him, but as far as anyone else could see, he was alone. He stood out a fair amount, what with the shades indoors, his pale skin and platinum-blonde hair, plus the vibrant red of his shirt. Then again, that wasn't the only thing about him that was vibrant red. Just as the thought crossed his mind, vaguely, Karkat spoke up, as if on cue.

"So, do you feel like taking off your shades in my presence any time soon?"

Dave actually coughed ever so slightly in surprise, the topic coming up so abruptly. "What in the fuck makes you think this is a good time to ask that? Seriously, bro?"

Karkat rolled his eyes, glaring into Dave's shades from across the table, his arms crossed over the wooden top. "Because I fucking felt like asking," he retorted with no sign of hesitation. "Why are you hiding it from me? It's not like I can fucking tell anyone."

"It's just a part of my mysterious charm," Dave answered with a shrug, getting up as he hear his name called. "I don't want to ruin the majesty of it all." With that, he walked past Karkat to get their drinks, and promptly left the café with the demon close at his heels. Why did Karkat keep asking about his god damn shades? It was annoying and frustrating, and yet Dave felt himself getting closer and closer to actually _wanting_ to talk to him about it. Maybe that was what frustrated him most, like it was a sign of weakness.

He didn't let these thoughts linger on his mind, and instead let raps and rhythms fill his brain for the remainder of his walk home. Karkat was silent behind him, as if he somehow knew that, behind Dave's cool and controlled exterior, the human was completely done with talking for the time being, and needed a moment to cool off. By the time they were home, however, he was right back on the subject as Dave handed him his coffee. "Is it really that sensitive a subject?"

Dave just sighed heavily, then took a long swig of his apple-latte. "You really aren't dropping this, are you?" he said, his chill tone having the slightest hint of defeat and exhaustion in it. The hard stare Karkat gave him was answer enough. "If you've been watching me for fuck knows how long, you should know why I won't take off my shades."

"I do. But it doesn't make sense to me- you know I know, and I can't blab. So why hide from your friend?"

Once the two of them were in Dave's bedroom again, he set his cup down and warily reached for his glasses. "It's not hiding," he lied, knowing very well that it was, at the back of his mind. "I just don't see why it matters." He slid the sunglasses down his nose to reveal closed eyes, then set them beside his cup and lifted his head, opening his eyes to meet Karkat's dead on- red mirroring red. "I wear my shades because this eye color is nowhere near as cool as I am."

Karkat didn't look phased at seeing Dave's eyes, not taken aback or surprised. If anything, he looked acceptant and approving. Like he was, deep down, happy to be meeting Dave's eyes properly for the first time. "I think that's a stupid reason to keep them covered up with those douche-y, black lenses all the time," he said back bluntly, smirking at Dave.

"Red eyes aren't exactly highly regarded in human society," Dave chuckled back with a distinct lack of humor in his tone, looking down at his shades. "No offence, but most people see 'em as some kind of demonic mark, or some shit. Especially around here."

"Well, maybe that's why we get along so well," Karkat mused, moving to punch Dave in the shoulder affectionately. "Don't take this the wrong way, or anything, but I personally think you have kick-ass eyes." The two exchanged a small, slightly-amused grin before dropping the subject altogether and going on with their night, as if this sappily-sweet moment had never occurred.


	5. Chapter 5

**This is more of a serious chapter, I suppose... funny, this was going to be a simple one-shot, but then my mind started being way too active and it's evolved into something a bit more stupidly complex. Anyways, I hope you enjoy, and please leave reviews.**

After a long week of school work, and a long day full of tests, Dave was pleased to be winding down with a night planned to be full of relaxation, absurd amounts of junk food, and bad movies. He'd even rented a few romcoms just for Karkat, but of course he would say that he'd rented them ironically, just to make fun of them and bug the crap out of his demon friend. In reality, he knew how much it would mean to his best friend. It's a shame that he was too cool to ever admit that, even to himself.

Just as he was putting in "Hitch" at Karkat's request, the other male cleared his throat in that way that made it obvious he wanted Dave's attention. "What do you need, princess?" he asked, feigning a sugary-sweet tone, and he could practically hear the other roll his eyes.

"Since you don't have to go to school or some shit tomorrow, can I just stay here?" He shuffled his feet a bit as he sat on the bed, picking at the blankets idly with his sharp claws. "I'd honestly rather do that than go back… you know. _There._"

Dave looked at Karkat over his shoulder, their eyes meeting- yes, both their eyes. Since the little heartfelt moment of gross sappiness after their trip to the café, just a few days ago, Dave had forced himself to get into the habit of taking his shades off when it was just him and Karkat. With the demon's nagging help, of course. "Dude, I thought that's what you did anyway. Go ahead, knock yourself out. You practically live in my bedroom as it is."

He grunted a bit as he got to his feet, the noise morphing into a chuckle. "Can't get enough of this hot mess of Strider deliciousness, huh Kitkat?" It had become customary for them to joke this way, or at least for Dave to do so. And every time, Karkat's reaction was priceless. This time, the reaction was a pillow hitting his back and a red-faced demon staring at him with forced contempt.

"You _wish_ that was the case," Karkat grumbled back stiffly, crossing his arms as his eyebrows knitted together. God, why was it so frustratingly cute how flustered he got? No, cute wasn't quite the right word for it. A_dork_able was more like it. Yeah, that's poetry right there.

Dave just shrugged, the inner machinations of his mind well-hidden from Karkat, even without his shades. His pokerface was always more than enough to keep his thoughts and emotions hidden. "Whatever you say, babe. Anyway, your shitty Will Smith romcom is in, so you start up the movie and I'll get the snacks." Karkat nodded and grabbed for the remote just as Dave was leaving his room to gather up the soda, chips, popcorn and sweets he'd asked his Bro to get a few days before. Once he was certain everything was accounted for, he went back to Karkat in his room, and their sleepover of the century was finally underway.

The two of them didn't start getting ready for bed until it was nearly four in the morning, and that was only because they'd run out of movies. After they'd more or less cleaned up their mess, and Dave was changing into his "pajamas" -just wearing his boxers to bed- it was time to work out sleeping arrangements.

"So am I just going to sleep curled up at the foot of your bed, like some stupid pet?" Karkat asked in his usual sharp and heavily sarcastic tone.

"Nah, man," Dave replied coolly, flopping down on his bed. "Sleep where you want. We could spend the night cuddled up in my bed like a couple of school girls, for all I care," he snickered, sending a broad, teasing grin at Karkat as he yanked the blankets up over his shoulders.

Again, Karkat just flushed a deep red and growled, baring his fangs. "Yeah fucking right. No thanks- I'd rather sleep on the god damn floor."

Dave merely shrugged, his grin shrinking to a pleased smirk as he let his eyes drift shut. "Suit yourself, princess." It didn't take long for the blonde to begin softly snoring into his pillow, and the same went for Karkat after he'd made a small blanket-heap on the floor to nestle into.

* * *

Soon enough, Dave was dreaming about strange things that didn't make much sense to his waking self. They could hardly be called dreams, either. Obviously they were nightmares concocted by a sleeping mind that was still hyper with sugar and junk food, and they were comprised of a small number of different, strange scenarios. All of which were unsettling, to say the least.

The first of which was finding his Bro's dead body on a barren and deserted landscape, blood pooling on the ground beneath him, his eyes lifeless and white behind his anime-shades. In the dream, Dave knelt beside the body, silent, and whatever sorrow he might've felt hidden by the shades covering his face like always.

The scene quickly changed to a shadowy place, yet another region unknown to Dave's waking self. The darkness around him seemed to move and breathe when he wasn't looking, and every once in a while he'd see a flash of purple and white amongst the black out of the corner of his eye. It wasn't until he saw the face of his friend Rose appear out of the shadows that he knew what the flashes had been, but something about her was different: her skin was a dark grey, nearly black, and her eyes were stark white and lifeless, all the golden-blonde coloring seemingly sapped out of her hair, only to leave behind snow-white locks.

Before Dave's dream self could gather his bearings about this, the landscape changed again. Now all he could see was Karkat, and a girl who he'd never seen before. Short black hair, red clothing, and blacked-out eyes, wearing some kind of red tiara or something. The two were facing off in what looked to be some kind of other-worldly forest, the girl holding a long, red trident in one hand. In what seemed to be the blink of an eye, the girl stabbed the three prongs of the trident into Karkat's chest, the red of the weapon mingling with the bright red of his blood as it stained his shirt and dripped onto the forest floor.

Karkat stumbled back limply, coughing up a mouthful of blood, and Dave reached out to catch him. However, before the two could even touch, everything went black and cold. On the one hand, he felt numb and icy, his mind going blank, stuck a state of utter, dazed confusion; on the other, he felt as if his insides had been blended up, such was the sickening, churning feeling in his stomach. It felt like someone had hit him in the chest with a sack of bricks, he was so inwardly distraught and angered by all the images he'd seen.

For some reason, the last one hit him the hardest, even more than seeing Bro dead. Was it because he'd had to actually witness Karkat's death first-hand? Hear the gagging, spluttering, and cut-off scream that his best friend had emitted as he was forced to watch as three, sharp prongs pierced his heart and torso? Or was it because he was suddenly finding himself much more attached to Karkat? It wasn't as if he and his Bro were especially close, after all.

He didn't have much longer to contemplate this, before he heard a long, low, wolf-like growl. He turned around, everything still black, just to see the final nightmarish creature of this dream: a black figure with the body of a man, and the face of a dog. One arm was missing, he was covered in blood, and a sword was impaled in his chest. Dave had only a moment to ask himself what the hell this monstrosity was before the creature yanked the sword out of its chest cavity, and lunged for him, the sharp blade bared and ready to land a fatal and bloody blow.

It all happened so fast, and before he knew it, Dave was back in his bedroom, panting slightly and covered in sweat. He glanced out the window to see a few pale rays of light shining over the horizon, then looked down at the ashy-gray arm draped over his chest. He followed the arm drowsily with his eyes, up to a shoulder, a face, and then finally locking eyes with Karkat's, which were wide and expectant. The demon's expression was unusually careful and uncertain, but Dave could hardly process this at the moment. In fact, all he could seem to think about was the relief at seeing KArkat alive and well, all but getting lost in the vibrant, crimson sea of the demon's iris'.

"Are you okay?" Karkat asked quietly, raising an eyebrow and moving his arm away from Dave as he sat up. This seemed to break the blonde out of his stupor, and he blinked forcefully a few times. "You were tossing and turning like hell… you kept muttering shit under your breath too, but I couldn't really hear." Once or twice the fanged male could've sword he'd heard his name, but it could very well have been his imagination. Therefore, he didn't relay his theory to Dave.

Dave sat up, though much more sluggishly, and rubbed his eyes with a small nod. "Yeah," he sighed, blinking several more times as his eyes adjusted to the increasing amount of sunlight. He pinched and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to collect and organize his jumbled thoughts. "It was just a nightmare. A weird, shitty nightmare." At any other time, he would've joked about how close Karkat had been to him, and how unusually caring the demon was acting. But, in all honesty, he was much more spooked by the nightmare than he was willing to admit. Not that he needed to in order for Karkat to be aware of this fact.

Karkat just nodded to him, and began to get up from Dave's bed. Just as he was swinging his legs over the side, he jumped a bit as he felt Dave's chilly fingers coil around his wrist. He looked down at the human with a puzzled expression, but when their eyes met, no words were necessary. The questioning look on Karkat's face turned understanding, and he went back to laying beside Dave. Soon enough, they were both asleep once again, legs entangled, hands gripping one another, and bodies pressed firmly and warmly together. And, in the morning, they would both deny that it had ever happened.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry for the hiatus. I was having some bad writer's block, but a few recent "new follower" messages got me off my ass to finish this chapter. It's a little time-jumpy but bear with me, and I hope you enjoy. All reviews are appreciated, especially constructive criticism.**

A few hours later, Dave was prying his eyes open, slowly and tentatively as the now much stronger sunlight stung his pupils. What made him finally snap his eyes open was a particular lack of smooth, warm skin beneath his arm, and he seemed to grope around for said warmth for what seemed like ten minutes before realizing Karkat was gone. With this epiphany, he shot straight up and glanced all around his bedroom, not seeing any sign of the demon. He threw off his covers and jogged out of his bedroom, not even bothering to grab his shades. What if that terrible nightmare had somehow become real?

He stopped abruptly when he saw his Bro in the kitchen, obviously staring him down behind his own, much pointier shades as he drank from a mug of what was most likely coffee. He raised a brow, swiftly and subtly, and uttered three words: "Little man- shades."

With a frown and a blink, Dave nodded and trudged back to his room, still glancing around for any sign of Karkat. Why would he just leave like that? And why was Dave so freaked out? He'd _never _in his _life_ freaked out so much over something so seemingly small. Once inside his room, he rubbed his eyes sleepily and grabbed his shades off his nightstand, placing them at the bridge of his nose. "C'mon," he mumbled dully, "stop messing with me, Princess. Where'd you go?"

* * *

Karkat sat at one of the dark grey cliffs, staring out at the thick, red sea stretching out before him. What had that been about? He kept asking himself that, the question directed at his affectionate actions towards Dave earlier that morning. He didn't know what had come over him- all he knew was that, when Dave started thrashing and talking in his sleep, Karkat crawled in beside him on instinct to try and quiet him, calm him if at all possible.

While he was lost in his train of thought, he didn't hear the sound of someone's footsteps behind him. Only when he heard a voice suddenly chuckling in his ear, and felt a tongue on his neck did he realize someone was with him. By then he practically jumped out of his skin with a small shout of surprise, and nearly fell from his perch; luckily a hand caught his collar to stop the fall.

"Hey, Karkles~," the fellow, female demon giggled as she sat down beside him, swinging her legs over the side of the cliff and kicking them back and forth. "Haven't seen you around hardly at all lately. Well, I haven't seen anything lately, but you know what I mean, heh-heh. Where in hell have you been?"

Karkat shrugged, not looking at her and continuing to stare out at the bloody ocean. Terezi was one of his closest friends, which was why he didn't want to tell her the truth. She'd only worry, or nag him about the whole thing. That'd be tedious, and he didn't want to deal with it at the moment. "Nowhere." This wasn't exactly a lie, since his disappearances were because he hadn't been in hell at all.

She just giggled manically again, nudging him with her elbow. "Oh, come on. We both know that's a load of bull shit. Nobody's heard from you, not even Sollux. Aren't you two like… best pals, or whatever?"

He rolled his eyes, slouching a bit. "Yeah, we are. I've just been busy."

"Pffft, you? _Busy_?" she chuckled, shaking her head. "Why won't you just fess up, Karkles. You haven't been having an affair, have you? Oooooh, how _scandalous~_!" Her tone was playful, and she poked him a few times. "Whose my competition? I've gotta know~."

He smacked her hand away and got to his feet. "I'm not. And even if I was seeing someone, it wouldn't be an "affair," because we're not together anymore." His sharp tone made her grin shrink a bit, and he sighed heavily. He didn't like lying to her, and he hated bringing up how things had gone with them. He didn't linger on this thought long before he was already trudging away, shoulders slumped and hands deep in his pockets. "I just want to be alone."

Now this was a blatant fib, because he planned to go to the human world as soon as he was somewhere private, and go see Dave. Lately the human had been all he could think about, the only thing really lingering on his mind. He hated being separated from him, and he knew exactly why this was so. He just didn't want to admit it, because he _knew_ it wouldn't work out between them. Dave was a human, a mortal, and he was a corrupt demon of hell who would be forced to live in a dull, eternal existence. It just… wasn't possible. Not that Dave would fall for someone as pathetic as him even if it was.

* * *

Around noon, Dave's phone began to buzz on his desk, causing him to lazily look away from the television as he laid on his bed. He got up and walked over to the phone, Jade's number showing up on the caller ID. That was weird. She usually only called on school night's, to make sure Dave had his shit together and was getting his homework done. He clicked the answer button and held the phone to his ear. "Yo, Harley," he drawled dully.

She seemed to stammer nervously on the other hand. "Oh, hey, Dave," she answered in that squeaky, sweet tone she constantly had. "I was just wondering if you were… you know, busy tonight?" Dave blinked, but didn't reply right away. He honestly didn't want to go out or do anything without Karkat knowing, and the little guy wasn't exactly around to be informed… While he was thinking about this, having gone silent, Jade had begun to ramble like she tended to do. "I mean, it's okay if you're not. I'm just kind of bored, and I don't have anything to do, and I just know how you're always saying you don't do much on the weekends, so-"

"Whoa, whoa," he chuckled a bit, cutting her off mid-sentence. "It's fine. So, what'd you have in mind?"

While he was on the phone with Jade, the subject of dinner came up just as Karkat seemed to phase in from out of the shadows. Dave saw him immediately, quirking a small smirk and waving right as he was wrapping up the conversation with Jade and hanging up the phone. "Dude, where were you?" he asked, walking over to Karkat and raising an eyebrow.

"Where I came from," Karkat replied bluntly, crossing his arms and looking at the ground. "So… you're going somewhere?" Dave nodded, and Karkat felt a painful little tug in his chest. "With who?"

"Just a girl," Dave replied with a shrug, then went to his dresser mirror to quickly mess with his hair, not really giving a shit one way or the other. He wasn't about to make a big deal out of getting dinner with a friend, even though it was obvious she saw it as a date. And maybe it was, but either way that was no reason for Dave to lose his cool. "She's a friend from school."

Karkat looked hurt, but he tried to disguise it as best he could. "Oh. Great. Have fun," he said bluntly and nonchalantly. Maybe even a bit coldly.

Dave looked at the demon over his shoulder, seeming a bit surprised by this kind of reaction. It wasn't like Karkat to have so little to say, and to say it so quickly. "What's the matter, Kitkat? You gonna miss me?" He let out a small snicker when he saw the tint of red in Karkat's cheeks,

"I'll be just fine, thanks a lot," he snapped back a bit too curtly. "Just go on your shitty date, okay? Why should I even fucking care?" He disappeared from where he was standing, moving to sit on Dave's bed. "I hope you two have a serendipitous time, okay?"

It was obvious that Dave picked up on Karkat's unease, and he frowned at the demon. "Yeah, man. Why should you care? You seem awfully uptight about it." He shook his head with a little, slightly-annoyed grunt. "Whatever, bro. Apparently you don't want to talk about it, so I'll just see you when I get back. You can watch a movie or whatever while I'm gone." He waved over his shoulder after grabbing his wallet and house keys, leaving his room and shutting the door behind him.

Karkat, alone in the room, felt a certain tightness in his chest, and he clenched his hands into fists as they rested on his knees. He was jealous, and he knew it. He owned it, and accepted it. He was jealous, and angry, and like hell was he going to just sit there and wait for Dave to get back. He knew the consequences probably wouldn't be what he wanted, but he couldn't just… not do anything. Before he had time to reconsider, he had disappeared out of the room to follow Dave on his date.

* * *

Dave had been expecting a plain, quiet dinner with his friend as he met Jade at the entrance. But when the two of them walked in, and he saw a familiar shadow flit about in the corner of his eye, he was reminded of the fact that not everything goes as planned. He didn't let on that he'd seen anything though, not in the slightest. He just kept walking, eyes seemingly looking straight ahead behind his dark shades.

When the two humans were seated at a small booth in the corner of the restaurant, Karkat appeared beside Dave on his side of the table. "Hey," he greeted dully, crossing his arms over the tabletop and nudging the blonde. "Are you just going to ignore me?"

Dave glanced at the demon, giving him the smallest hint of a nod before turning his attention back to Jade as she asked how he'd been. After all, he was well aware that Jade couldn't see his demonic friend. "I've been good. Things have been pretty chill… not much has happened." He smirked a little at the indignant huff Karkat emitted, and the slightly-hurt glare as it formed on his face. "What about you- ow!" he hissed as Karkat stomped on his foot

"Are you okay?" Jade squeaked from her side of the table, looking surprised.

"Yeah," Dave seethed a bit, nodding. "Just… a bit sore. Bro's been driving me up a wall with all his stupid strife's and training exercises." Dave was nothing if not good at quick-thinking and telling white lies.

"Oh, well… maybe we should postpone this if you're not feeling well. I know how hard he can push you."

"Yes," Karkat interjected, though going unnoticed by Jade.

"No. I'm fine." Under the table, he returned Karkat's gesture by kicking him in the shin, receiving an pained yelp in return. "I've dealt with worse, so don't worry about it."

Karkat pouted angrily as he glanced between the two of them while they exchanged the usual small talk. They seemed to get along well; Dave obviously liked this girl a lot. Probably more than he could ever like him, Karkat thought, and that only deepened his frown. When their food came, their chatter died down a bit, due to both of them having run out of conversation topics, and being in the middle of eating their meal.

"You like her, huh?" Karkat asked, talking more to himself than the human, since Dave wasn't about to address him verbally. "Do you want to… date her, or some shit? Would you, if she asked? Or would you ask her?" Dave's only response was his usual poker face and very, very subtle shrugs. "If you two get together, you won't be home as much. You won't care about me anymore."

At that point, Dave finally set down his fork, his blank expression breaking for a split second. "I'll be right back. Gotta hit the bathroom." Jade just nodded in reply, sending him a cute, buck-toothed grin as he got up. The look he gave Karkat from the side of his shades, his eyes barely visible, said something along the lines of "come on." The demon blinked in confusion, but nodded and followed obediently.

Once they were in the public restroom of the restaurant, and Dave had checked the stalls to make sure they were alone, he crossed his arms and leaned against the sink counter. Behind his shades, an eyebrow was raised questioningly. "Okay, bro. What's up? Why are you acting so weird tonight?"

Karkat just stuffed his hands in his pockets, staring at the tile floor and shuffling his feet. "... Because it's true, isn't it? You do like her. And when you two get together, I'll get left behind. Like I always do." His jaw was clenched up, his eyebrows furrowed into an expression of anguish even stronger than he normally had. Suddenly his thoughts went back to Terezi, but he shook that out of his mind. "And I don't want that to fucking happen, okay?"

Dave's vaguely stern and inquisitive expression softened slightly, and he heaved a small sigh. "You're kidding, right? _That's_ what'd bothering you?" He managed a little grin, chuckling slightly. "For one thing, I don't like Jade that way. We're just hanging out. Secondly, you obviously haven't heard the phrase "bros before hoes." I'm not just gonna ditch you like an asshole if I get a girlfriend."

"Maybe I don't want you to have a girlfriend though," Karkat blurted out, baring his fangs slightly. When he realized what he'd said, his face flushed a slight shade of pink, and his angry expression turned a bit shocked. Looked like his cover was just about blown.

Dave looked calm as ever, if not a little intrigued. "What? Why-" Before he could finish, he gasped a bit when Karkat grabbed his collar, yanked him forward, and smashed their lips together in a clumsy, haphazard kiss.

Well… that was _one _way to tell someone you liked them.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long. I won't go into detail, but a lot of crazy stuff happened with my computer and I wasn't able to finish the chapter until now. Anywho, please review and I hope you enjoy. **

While Karkat couldn't see it, Dave's eyes were wide as globes behind his shades, and the smallest hint of red flushed in his cheeks as the awkward lip-smashing turned into a gentler, smoother kiss. His hands had moved to brace himself against the counter, but his arms twitched a bit as he felt the urge to wrap them around the demon; and, after only a brief moment of hesitation, he did, pulling his "friend" closer and tilting his head to better fit the kiss.

They only separated when they heard the door creak open, and Dave quickly spun around to look as if he'd been washing his hands. His cheeks still burned a faint red, and he swallowed several times to try and return all the moisture he'd lost to his mouth. That had been sudden, to say the least, but what bothered him most is how much he'd enjoyed it. How much he realized he'd wanted it to begin with. He glanced at Karkat's in the mirror, the other male looking even redder in the face than before, and adorably bashful.

"Sorry, I-" he began in a quiet tone, before Dave cut him off.

He gave no shits about who heard him. "We'll talk when I get home. For now, let me wrap this thing up with Jade," he said in his usual cool, collected vocal pattern, his slight, southern drawl relatively calming to the jittery demon. "See you then, Princess." For effect, he opened and snapped his phone shut, as if he'd been talking over that instead of to an invisible demon's reflection in the mirror, then returned to his booth with Jade.

"Everything okay? You were in there for a while."

He smirked slightly, his fingers dancing over his fork a bit excitedly, though never quite picking it up. Why was he so fucking happy all of a sudden? Wait, fuck that, he knew exactly why. "Everything's perfect," he said back plainly, holding back a full-on grin.

* * *

Karkat paced the room back at Dave's apartment, having resolved to leave the human on his date now that he'd managed to thoroughly humiliate himself. He gnawed at his lip once or twice, cracking his knuckles constantly as he just sort of flitted around the empty bedroom nervously. Dave was surely upset with him, despite his "cool" act at the restaurant. Surely he didn't reciprocate Karkat's feelings, and even if he did that was just digging the demon a deeper grave, so to speak. Karkat had really screwed up this time…

He nearly jumped out of his skin when the door opened, letting a sliver of light stream in from the hallway. He just saw Dave's silhouette at first, but when the lights flicked on, and his eyes adjusted, his heart felt strangled when he saw the human's seemingly stern expression. Or at least it looked stern to the paranoid demon, and the shades definitely didn't help.

When he took the tinted glasses off, however, Karkat felt a little more at ease at seeing the red iris', so very much like his own. "Dave, I-"

"Shut up, dude," the human murmured bluntly, crossing the room to take Karkat by the shoulders and pull him in for another kiss, this one remarkably more graceful than its predecessor. Karkat made a small, muffled noise of surprise, but it was cut off by a brief pause, followed by a content purr. Sure, the potential relationship was doomed, but… did that really mean he couldn't enjoy it while it was happening?

It didn't take long for the kiss to escalate, Karkat soon pressed against a wall by Dave's body, one of the human's hands resting on his hip, and the other braced against the wall by the demon's head. Dave ran his tongue along either of their lips a bit teasingly, sending a shiver down Karkat's spine. This just earned a small snicker from the blonde, and he pulled back to stare into Karkat's eyes, rubbing his side softly. "Even demons can't resist, huh?"

Karkat gave a half hearted glare in reply, moving one hand to the back of Dave's head to tug him in closer again. "Shut up and kiss me, you smug prick," he muttered before pressing their lips together for the third time that evening. He simply couldn't get enough of it, drinking in Dave's taste and his warmth. It put him on a kind of high, being so close to the one he wanted so bad it hurt, and this sort of closeness was the only cure to said pain.

Finally, Dave backed away, his grip on Karkat's side falling. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, grinning a little with satisfaction. "Not too fast, babe. If we're gonna do this, we have to do it right. Can't give it all up in one go, you know?" While Karkat's clawed fingertips itched with want, he nodded in agreement. Of course Dave was right- they had to take this slow, and savor every moment. Enjoy everything about a good relationship for as long as possible.

While he thought about this, he barely processed Dave leading him towards the bed and laying down in a position that left plenty of room for Karkat. "No running off before I wake up this time," Dave murmured as he pulled Karkat down beside him, draping an arm over the demon and kissing his forehead. "That seriously scared the shit out of me, man. Not cool."

Karkat's front fangs scraped over his bottom lip a little unsurely, but he nodded in agreement as he cuddled closer and nuzzled against Dave's chest. It felt as if his heart were burst with joy, but he forced himself to remain calm, closing his eyes and leaning up to place a tender kiss against Dave's cheek. "Fine, I'll stay… needy asshole," he chuckled jokingly, his voice so quiet it was barely audible, even in the silence.

The two of them slept peacefully through the night, limbs tangled together amongst the sheets as they lay beside each other, pressed close together to share their warmth.


End file.
